Peterson's stepbrother speaks out to ABC

Peterson's lawyer responds to Morphey interview

March 16, 2009 2:25:57 PM PDT

March 16, 2009 --

Drew Peterson's stepbrother says, in his first network television interview, he was suspicious that the former Bolingbrook police sergeant was planning to kill someone.Drew Peterson's attorney hit back on Monday afternoon after Good Morning America aired an interview with Peterson's stepbrother, Thomas Morphey. He says in no uncertain terms that he believes Peterson killed his wife Stacey back in October of 2007.

"He said how much do you love me? I said I do. And he said enough to kill for me? And at that point I was in shock. I said that's not something I can live with. And he said, well, can you live with knowing about it?" said Morphey on Good Morning America.

Morphey goes on to say that the day before Stacey's disappearance, he and Peterson visited a storage facility and Peterson offered him $2,000 to rent the locker himself.

"Sometime I wish I had rented that locker just because we would know where she was. On the other hand, I partially think that that locker was to be put in my name so he could set me up. I was a perfect target for him. I had credibility issues," said Morphey.

And it is that credibility that Brodsky went after on Monday. Morphey has admitted to alcohol and drug abuse problems and to suffering from bipolar disorder.

"They'll weave a couple of incidents that are true into a wider more delusional story. And that's just part of the disease. And that's what happened here," said Joel Brodsky, Drew Peterson's attorney.

He gives as an example the story about the storage facility visit with Peterson, something that Peterson himself told the radio on Sunday that did take place, but in a different context.

"Well, the stuff came up and it was just kind of a matter of fact thing. It wasn't something I deliberately had to get done right away, but I wanted to clean my garage up a little bit," said Peterson on WIND Radio on Sunday.

"I'm sure the state police when they checked out his story found that there was some items that checked out, but the great majority of the story probably didn't check out and that's why they don't think he is a very credible witness. That's why they haven't taken him before the grand jury," said Brodsky.

A spokesperson for the Will County State's Attorney Office responded to the allegations by Brodsky saying that, "Mr. Brodsky has no first-hand knowledge of our investigation and no concept of overwhelm we deem credible or not. Our investigation is focused on the disappearance of Stacey Peterson. We fully expect to bring those cases to a successful conclusion in the very near future."

Morphey on Good Morning America

Thomas Morphey told ABC's Good Morning America about a conversation he had with Peterson, who is a suspect in the disappearance of his fourth wife, Stacy.

Morphey told ABC's Chris Cuomo that his stepbrother asked him a shocking question.

"He said, 'How much do you love me?' I said, 'I do,' and he said, 'Enough to kill for me?' And at that point, I was in shock," Morphey said.

"Is that the way he would normally joke around? Was he laughing?" Cuomo asked Morphey.

"No. I said, 'That's not something I can live with,' and he said, 'Well, can you live with knowing about it?'" said Morphey.

Peterson's attorney, Joel Brodsky, has said that Morphey is not credible and has a history of mental illness and drug and alcohol addiction, noting that he has yet to be called to tell his story to the grand jury despite extensive interviews with the Illinois State Police. Morphey said in the interview Monday that Brodsky's job is to attack his credibility. .

"I know he killed Stacy," Morphey said. "All the circumstances point to it."

Morphey appeared on TV with his girlfriend, Sheryl Alcox.

Morphey described the hours before, during and after he helped Peterson move a blue barrel from Peterson's home into his SUV, a barrel Morphey now believes contained the body of Stacy Peterson. Morphey's first television interview followed similar revelations to the Chicago Sun-Times last week.

"I said 'What about the smell?'" Morphey said on "Good Morning America." "He said it was in a sealed container."

Morphey added: "I knew it wasn't good. He was planning on killing someone."

Morphey said Peterson drove him home with the blue barrel in the back of his Yukon Denali. When he dropped him off, Morphey said Peterson told him that the incident never happened.

"I said 'I won't say a word,'" Morphey said Monday.

Morphey was hospitalized after trying to kill himself following the alleged barrel moving incident. He then was put into state police custody for two months.

He has yet to testify before an ongoing grand jury investigating Stacy's disappearance and the death of Peterson's third wife.

Morphey isn't the only one speaking out. Peterson appeared on WIND-AM (560) Sunday with WIND personality Geoff Pinkus and newswoman Amy Jacobson, saying he and Morphey visited a storage facility the day before Stacy disappeared because he needed a place to store tires that were cluttering his garage.

He said he was just looking and didn't rent the storage space.

Morphey said during the Monday interview that part of him wishes he had rented the unit.

"Sometimes I wish I had rented that locker just because we'd know where she was," he said, adding "I partially think the locker was put in my name so he could set me up."

Morphey called himself "the perfect target for (Peterson)" because of "credibility issues." The "Good Morning America" reporter said Morphey has a bipolar disorder, and Morphey has said he's struggled with drug and alcohol problems.

Peterson repeatedly has denied any involvement in the disappearance of Stacy, his fourth wife, or the death of his third wife Kathleen Savio. Savio was found dead in her bathtub in 2004. No charges have been filed against anyone in either of the cases.